The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1887-10-27

The Oldest and most deliberate fly had as
cended to the summit erected by my knees,
and was still engaged in personal adornment
He gave his goggles careful polish with his
fore legs balanced himself on his middle legs,
braided his hind legs and unraveled them
again with amazing rapidity. Then he gave
himself brisk rubbing down all over and
cracked his heels in sudden and ribald man
ner He lifted his wings and secured their
interior with the ball of his toes tied his CEN
trail legs into 4 hard knot, united them, cur
ried himself gently on the side and INDUCED
his head in dry shampoo. Having limbered
up by this massage, he tried his buzz, found
it satisfactory, vaulted lightly into the air
and took musical turn about the room, in
serting himself in my left ear at full speed,
and dodging out with mocking laugh just
in the nick of time.
Fly paper is g mean invention which docs
grievous injury to the tender and confiding
nature of fly. Being moist and soft and
sticky, it appeals to him as being something
good to eat. Alighting he gets one foot
mired and doesn't like it. Nothing but COM
plete freedom OF movement satisfies an
American fly. He beats the air with his
wings and fails to get loose. A happy
thought strikes him He uses the other hind
leg to pry out the first, and gets that
into trouble. Then he thinks if he puts
down his two middle legs and pushes real
hard, something will break loose. The ex-
pertinent is failure. He then yels for help,
and other flies come to his rescue. They inter
lace legs and pull, but find the fly still fast
Then they roll him over on his back, thinking
he may slide easier in that position, but he is
anchored firmer than ever. Then they ask
him to remain just where he is until after
luncheon, and not get stuck up any more,
and promise to wait until they will come
back, and then they go off and forget all
about him. He remains feebly gesticulating
with his two remaining legs, and finally gets
tired and abandons himself to death. Sub
sequently the paper is thrown into the back
yard, where a tomcat steps on it, and it takes
him week to comb the flies and pitch out of
his fur.
A correctly built fly has 10, ,631 eyes, but he
is lacking in foresight. During a prosperous
season he will lay in q stock of 10000 chill
dren, and yet not, if he can help 1t, will he
leave them even so small legacy as piece
Of pie.
earnestly trust that the able paper to be
printed by the Royal society will do justice
to the beautiful, home Ike and trustful dis
position Of the fly. have often tried to do
flies justice, but my efforts. combined with
wet towel, have always failed.
Flies have always taken deep interest in
even the smallest things do. AS write,
one fly is going over the page carefully for
omissions in punctuation; four others are
assisting the flow of ideas by whispering con-
fdingly III my ear and playing tag on top Of
my head; fifth Is balanced on the butt Of
my pen, enjoying the slow ride across the
lines and the occasional excursions to the ink
stand, and the rest have discovered bottle
belonging to the office boy, and are deep in
the cross eyed joys Of a carouse.-Henry Guy
Carleton in New York World